Shoe.



A. CONTE.

SHOEI APPLICATION FILED um. 17, 1917.

W/T/VESS C/ar/r M Gray.

A TTOR/VEY Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

' To all whom it mayv concern:

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTONIO con'r'n, or SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. pplication filed October 17,1917. Seria11o.197,168.

Be it known that I, ANTONIO Oon'rn, a

subject of the King of Italy, residing at 'is made from a ingle, part or piece of leather or other material, for effecting a savingof both labor and material, and whereln both buttons and lacings are employed for securing the shoes to the feet of the wearers, thereby affording a ready means of adjusting the shoes to compensate for different thicknesses of stockings, as well as, to take up any looseness, due to the stretching of the material of the uppers, without requiring the resetting of the buttons.

I attain these objects by the means set forth in the detailed descriptionwhich follows, and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 1s a reduced lan view of the blank from which the sing e-piece upper of the shoe is made.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the seam less left side of the complete shoe.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of side of the shoe.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the seamless rear-end; showing the shoe unbuttoned and the lacing undisturbed.

For the purpose of describing my invention, I have only illustrated one of a pair of shoes, namely the right shoe.

In the drawing, 2 represents a single piece of leather or other flexible materialthe blank from which the one-piece upper of the shoe is formed, and which consists of the main body-portion 3, comprising the whole left side and back and a portion of the right side of the shoe. 4 represents a downwardly projecting integral part, which forms the covering for the usual wooden or leather heel 5. 6 represents a flap or portlon, which the right curves backwardly from the toe-portion 7 and 8 represents a curved integral flap or portion, which is disposed between the flap 6 and the lacing margin 9 of the body 3. After the blank 2 iscut out, it is folded in suitable manner and then secured to the usual inner and outer soles, the latter being designated by the numeral. 10. The detail construction of the soles and heel 5 are unimportant, and need not be particularly described. After the blank 2 has been folded to form the upper of the shoe, the compound curve edge 6 of the flap 6 is stitched or sewed, as at s, to a portion'of thecurved margin 8 of the fiapi8,'but mainly to the angular portion w of the blank 2. This is the only stitching or sewing required to complete the upper of the shoe, aside from the stitching g for securing the linings, and the usual means employed'for fastening the upper to the soles. tongue 8 is provided with button-holes or perforations 11, to receive the buttons 12, which are attached in the usual manner to, and spaced a short distance from the free margin or edge 13 of the body 3 (see Figs. 1 and 4-). The oppositely facing curved margins 9 of the body, and 8" of the central ,fiap 8, are correspondingly perforated, as

at 14, to receive the usual lace 14. The top of the shoe is formed by the angular margins 15 and 15 of the body 3.

In practice, at the time my improved shoes are purchased, the buttons 12 are usu- PatentedJamil,1918.

The central flap or ally in the right position, as shown in the drawing. The lace 14: is loosened sufficiently to allow the shoe to be tried. on, after which the shoe is laced up and tied, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In case the buttons need adjustment, in order to bring the shoe to a proper fit, they may be removed and reset, in the usual manner, after which the buttons need not be disturbed, except to put on and take off the shoes. After a shoe has been Worn for a time and the upper has become stretched, as is usually the case, the wearer readjusts the upper, or takes up the looseness or slack, by means of the lace 14. To quickly remove the shoe, only the curved edge 8 of the flap 8 need be released from the buttons 12. When the shoe is put on again, the flap 8 is buttoned to the margin 13, in the usual manner.

My improved shoe is extremely simple, practical and ornamental. The provision of the one-piece upper, greatly lessens the amount of labor required to form up and make the shoes, and materially decreases the double fastening means, via, the lacings M and the buttons 12 aside from producing an ornamental design for shoes, adds the important feature of adjustment for taking- Having thus described my invention, what i I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A shoe upper made from a single piece, comprising a main body portion, a heel-flap depending from the body, a flap extending rearwardly from the toe portion of the body, a central flap adapted to be secured to one margin of the body by a lace, and a series of buttons for securing said central flap to an adjacent margin of the body.

2. A shoe comprising a one-piece upper consisting of a main body portion, having a curved flap extending backwardly from the toe-portion, and having a curved cenaesaeee tral flap, said central flap having lacing perforations along one margin, and having button-holes along the opposite margin, a lace'for adjustably securing one edge of said central flap to one margin of said body, and a series of buttons carried by an adjacent margin of said body for securing the opposite edge of said central flap.

3. In a shoe the combination with the sole and the heel, of a one-piece upper mounted on the sole and covering the sides and rear portion of the heel, said upper consisting of a main body portion, havin an integral flap adjacent the toe-portion a apted to be stitched to the opposlte end of the body, and having 'a.second flap provided with lacing perforations near one lateral edge and button-holes nearthe opposite lateral edge, a lace for adjustably securing the second flap to one portion of said body, and a plurality of buttons for detachably securing said second flap to another portion of said body.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ANTONIO CUNTE. 

